Details

Details

The risk of fire and explosion is ever present at facilities throughout the Chemical Process Industries (CPI). These include plants that handle fuels and chemicals, flammable and potentially explosive fluids, and combustible dry powders. To help mitigate risk, plant personnel must implement the most appropriate engineering designs and instrumentation-and-control systems, and operate them properly. The goal is to ensure maximum reliability and rapid response (in terms of shutdown, isolation of the accelerant, protection of assets and personnel and more) in the event of fire or explosion.

This Chemical Engineering Guidebook provides a collection of practical engineering articles to help facilities maximize safety and minimize the risk of fire and related damage to the facility and personnel.

This volume includes several engineering articles that focus on reducing overall fire risk in chemical process plants, with additional material focusing on pressure-relief valves and rupture disks, both of which are essential elements in any facility’s overall fire-response strategy.

Other articles provide practical guidance on implementing the right instrumentation, monitoring and detection devices to protect plants and personnel in the event of upset or runaway conditions.

Topics also focus on the proper design, operation and maintenance of heat-transfer systems and fluid selection to reduce fire risk in high-temperature operations.

Delivered in as a PDF, 255 pages.

Articles Include:

Column Revamps: From Outside to Inside

• Some of the many things to consider for this complex task are presented here

The Direct Integration Method: A Best Practice for Relief Valve Sizing

• The approach described here is easier to use, and provides more accurate results, compared to leading valve-sizing methodologies

Distillation Column Design Factors

Control Engineering for Chemical Engineers

• Chemical engineers who are aware of process control requirements and challenges are in a position to improve process designs

• A practical overview of the important factors that need to be considered when designing a pressure relief system

Effective Plant Safety Management

• Three critical junctures and seven critical steps for plant safety are outlined

Safety-Instrumented Systems: Control Valves As Final Elements

• The scenarios presented here highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using a control valve in an SIS

Design Safety Instrumented Systems with Relevant Data

• Laboratory-based data can be too optimistic; some data from the field are too pessimistic. Here is how to deal with that dilemma

Causes and Prevention of Packing Fires

• Full understanding of the risks and benefits of packed distillation columns will lead to better design and maintenance practices and will lower the risk of future fires

Emergency Pressure Relief For External Fire Scenarios

• Emergency pressure relief is a dynamic event with rapidly changing physical properties. Available utilities aren’t always capable of handling the complex calculations commonly needed in the CPI. A simplified calculation technique is presented to address the issue of valve sizing for external fire scenarios

Working with the CSB After a Major Accident

• When a serious accident occurs, the CSB may immediately investigate at the scene. Understanding the process helps companies prepare for such an investigation

Things You Need to Know Before Using an Explosion-Protection Technique

• Understanding the different classification methods is necessary to better select the explosion-protection techniques that will be used

Rupture Discs: Effectively Minimize Leaks and Emissions

• When installing rupture discs, there are several mechanical and operational considerations for reducing the likelihood of leaks and fugitive emissions

Vapor Depressurization: Concept and Implementation

• When carrying out depressurization calculations, special attention is needed for critical equipment and systems such as rotating equipment, columns and reactors

Combining the use of Rupture Discs with Relief Valves

• Using the two devices together offers significant benefits in chemical processes. Here is how to take advantage of them

Modern Rupture Disc Support Increased Plant Capacity

• The use of today’s high-performance rupture disc designs can help to reduce many common operating problems and support increased throughput requirements

Pressure-Relief System Design: Developments and Deficiencies

• Areas of recent activity for pressure-relief systems include new calculation methods and updates to existing codes and standards. Included here is an overview of recent developments and a look at the results from a recent study of pressure-relief system deficiencies and solutions

Get the Most From High-temperature Heat-transfer-fluid Systems

• Fluid selection, system design and maintenance are the keys to achieving the best performance